


Our Love Will Survive These Dark, Dark Days

by GayLittleLuthor, super_canarys



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Badass Lena Luthor, F/F, Like really slow, Slow Burn, Zombie AU, based on the tumblr post a saw a while ago, karlena, lena is the softest zombie killer, stay tuned mon el gets a gruesome death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-12-10 11:17:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11690517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GayLittleLuthor/pseuds/GayLittleLuthor, https://archiveofourown.org/users/super_canarys/pseuds/super_canarys
Summary: Everything was normal in Lena Luthor's life. Or as normal as it can be when you live with a family as infamous as the Luthors. Dealing with the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, Lena takes it into her hands to right her family's wrongs. With the help of her new friends, Lena travels across the country to help find a cure for the disease that infected the nation, while also finding love, and dealing with her past.or the zombie au that about three people asked for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hey! so this is my first fic ever, so be kind y'all. Also a big shout out to my good friend @gaylittleluthor for helping me a lot with this!

Lena Luthor was a lot of things. She was confident, strong, and gifted. But most importantly, she was careful. So _ , fucking  _ careful _.  _ Which is why she found it hard to believe she was in this situation. The sound of her feet running against the wet pavement seemed to echo off the walls. Sprinting out of the alley, she found herself in the middle of a deserted highway. Lena turned around and surveyed the area, suddenly a barrage of bullets shot towards her. Quickly, she rolled under the nearest car for cover and cursed under her breath.

_ You stupid bitch! You knew better than to enter the perimeter without proper equipment  _ or  _ plans. Might as well make the best of it,  _ she thought _. _

Lena rolled out from under the car and towards the side, hiding her from the raining bullets. Pulling one of the side mirrors off the vehicle, Lena angled it towards the building opposite of her.  There she spotted a single sniper on the sixth floor. Looking around, she tried to form an escape route. If she went back the way she came, she’d come face to face with a heavily armed SUV filled with bounty hunters hired by her mother. If she stayed, there’d be no telling how long the sniper would wait her out. Then there are the added factors of the zombies finally discovering her. She was already surprised they hadn’t found her whereabouts already, with all the noise. The only plausible choice was to make her way over to the abandoned CatCo building.

Gathering her courage, she bolted out from her cover. The sniper immediately started shooting. Remembering her self-defense training Lena began to run in a zigzag pattern trying to evade the flying bullets. She dove behind another vehicle, stopping to catch her breath. 

_ 10 more feet, 10 more feet and I’ll be there.  _ As she got up to run, a bullet pierced her left shoulder. Stumbling to the ground Lena gasped for air.  _ You can’t stop now, keep going, she  _ reassured herself _.  _ Hearing an engine rev to her right, and realizing the shooter radioed in on her location, Lena swung her head towards the noise. The SUV was back, the bounty hunters in their black their body armor were waving their guns in the air, excitedly shouting, not giving a shit if zombies were in the area.  _ Fuck it, it’s now or never!  _ Lena pushed off the pavement and began to sprint away, running as fast as one could with a bullet in their shoulder.

The SUV began to speed up, leaning out of one of the car windows a bounty hunter began to swing a weapon made of chains and weighted spheres. Glancing back and recognizing the weapon to be a bola, Lena hobbled faster diving into one of CatCo’s windows, just missing the flying weapon. Trying to slow down her momentum, she rolled to the ground landing on broken glass. She groaned and stood up trying to steady herself. Lena surveyed the surrounding building trying to find a hiding place. Wobbling forwards she didn’t see the dead woman creeping up behind her. Lena quickly began to pry open an air vent hoping to get inside before the hunters came back. Feeling the cold dead hand on her shoulder,  Lena grasped her knife pulling it out of her thigh sheath and plunged it deep into the skull of the zombie. Pulling the knife back out and wiping the spattered blood off her lips, Lena saw what little life was left in the woman's eyes leave as she slid to the floor. 

“I’m sorry,” she muttered.

Lena dragged the body of the woman behind one of the many dusty and cluttered desks in the office space. She had to hurry, if there was one zombie, more must be close behind. The zombie wouldn’t have actually infected her, eaten her yes, but not infect her. It was after all, impossible. Lex made the virus—the virus that caused the end of the world— as a bioweapon, an ‘insurance plan’ to be sure that America would be safe in case of another world war. Unfortunately, not all the flaws in it had been worked out. Lex was, however, thoughtful enough to ensure that the virus was ineffective on Luthor blood. Lena learned this the hard way when she was bitten at the beginning of 'The Rising’. That’s what she called it at least—her mother always considered the title a little  _ too _ dramatic.

Hearing footsteps outside the building Lena quickly, scrambled into the air vent, closing it back up at the same time the bounty hunters walked in. Holding her breath, Lena watched the hunters scan the ground floor. When it became clear to them she wasn’t there, they began to evacuate the building.

“What if she’s somewhere else in the building,” said a hoarse voice.

“I wouldn’t worry about it. If the lurkers don’t get her, then she’ll bleed out eventually.” said a young woman.

“Yeah, but Li-” he was cut off with a punch on the gut. Lena held her laughter in, as she watched the hunters walk away. Once she was sure they all left, she leaned back, exhausted after being chased through the remnants of National City. The bullet wound in her shoulder started to ache, and she knew she’d have to do something about it soon. For now, though, she’d allow herself some rest. 

* * *

_ It all started like any other day. The sun rose over National City just like every day before. Lena woke up at 6:30, was at her favorite coffee shop by 7:30, and was clocked in at LuthorCorp by 8:00. She worked in R&D, researching the latest advancement in the company's new branch of military grade weaponry. Nothing was different. Until 6:00 that evening (Lena remembers the time because it was normally when she would be on her way home). Instead of going home, her world collapsed. Nobody was expecting the wave of undead that washed over the city. _

_ No one could have prepared for this—except, of course, Lex. Lena should have known that her brother was up to something. He had been so secretive lately, so quiet. She should have asked him about it. Maybe she could have stopped it. But no, Lena decided to ignore it; she thought it was nothing. Evacuating to the Luthor’ safe room, while the rest of her employees were sentenced to a living death, she remembers watching the news coverage to the beginning of the end. She remembers counting the casualties. Of course, no one knew what was going on, no one could have expected the dead to rise again, to grow in size, and to take everything that anyone had ever loved. At least she still has her brother, she thought. Until she found out the truth... _

* * *

 

Lena’s vision began to become hazy. Forcing herself to get up, Lena unfastened the air vent, and climbed down; she was starting to lose a lot of blood, and if she didn’t treat this wound soon, she’d bleed out. Deciding it was better to take alleyways than the open highway, she snuck out a back door. The game plan was to make it to her motorcycle, which she left just outside the outskirts of the city. Working her way down towards the end of the alley, she peeked her head around the corner.  _ Shit, shit, shit!  _ She knew it was too good to be true. The city was not as clear of the so-called lurkers than she originally thought. Formulating a plan, she trotted back to CatCo.

Uncovering the corpse of the woman she killed, she unsheathed her knife and plunged it into the neck of the zombie. Blood gushed out covering the white floor of the building. Quickly, Lena covered herself in the liquid, even disemboweling the zombie and draping its intestines around her for good measure. Approaching the back road leading out of National City, Lena took a deep breath. She took a tentative step out onto the road, then another, shuffling along as fast as she dared, without bringing too much attention to herself.  _ It’s actually working! I’m going to make it,  _ she thought. Shit hit the fan when she approached the end of the road that marked her turn. A piercing scream echoed through the entire city, making the walkers that lay strewn across the road rear their heads and look right at her.

“Fuck,” she groaned as she began to sprint. The undead bodies that covered the road began chasing after her, pushing and crawling over each other to get to her. This started a chain reaction as more zombies came out of their hiding places: under cars, inside dumpsters, out of alleyways. Lena ran, more like hobbled, as fast as she could turning onto an alley with a dead end. She jumped up the wall trying to find a grip on something,  _ anything,  _ that could get her out. Realizing, there was no escape, she drew a gun from the waistband of her jeans.  _ Bang! Bang!   _ Every undead body that entered her eyesight she shot down. Pulling ammo clip after ammo clip until she had nothing left, she threw her gun down, and screaming with rage, unsheathed her bloody knife. Taking deep breaths, she stabbed the first zombie that approached her, in the eye. She fought her way through the undead herd, hands covered with blood until she was pushed to the ground by a zombie falling on top of her. As the knife flew out of her hand, she tried to push the zombie’s snapping jaws as far away from her as she could. More were coming, Lena was outnumbered and she knew it. The only thing she could do was fight back until they eventually swarmed her.

But that never came. Lena heard a loud crash, then the zombie on top of her stopped squirming. Throwing it off of her, and reaching for her knife, she turned to see what caused this change of events. As she watched, she saw a figure, arms and legs swinging every which way, killing any creature that dare try to pass them. Lena was in shock. She’d never seen anyone fight off zombies as well as herself, it was hard not to admire the way this stranger sliced through the horde of undead. Behind her, more lurkers appeared; Lena had no problem slicing them one by one, now that the fight was evened out a bit.

Once all the infected were taken care of, the stranger began to walk towards her. Lena drew her knife again, wary of her new company.

“Woah, watch where you point that thing,” the stranger grinned.

“Who the fuck are you,” Lena demanded.

“Now, is that any way to treat somebody who just saved your life?” The stranger began to take off what seemed to be a baseball helmet that offered very little protection. Lena was surprised to see that the person who saved her life was not only a woman but an attractive one at that. She had long blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail, bright blue eyes that would give the ocean a run for its money, and very toned muscles. 

She flashed Lena a giant smile and reached out a blood-soaked hand, “I’m Kara, by the way, it’s nice to meet you!” 

Shaking her head in disbelief, she muttered: “what the  _ fuc _ k!” 


	2. Chapter 2

Lena looked down at Kara’s outstretched hand still not quite sure what to make of the situation. When it became obvious to the woman that Lena wasn’t going to take her hand anytime soon, she awkwardly retracted it, scratching the side of her head.

“We should, uh, probably get going soon. When they come in swarms like that, there’s bound to be more close by,” she said, taking a hesitant step closer to Lena. Kara spotted Lena clutching a hand to her shoulder, as the fresh blood seeped from her wound. “Woah, are you ok? We need to get that taken care of, you’re losing a lot of blood,” Kara said, looking worried. When Lena saw the woman come closer, she held her knife in defensive, ready to strike if Kara got any closer.

“Who are you,” she spat, eyes narrowing suspiciously at the new girl.

Kara held her hands up in a sign of surrender, taking another step forward. “I told you. My na-“

In a flash, Lena had the woman pinned to the ground, and straddled her; the edge of her blade digging into the blonde’s throat, though not enough to draw blood.

“Stop playing games,” she snarled, “did Lillian send you? How did you know where I was? Have you been following me?”

“Do you normally do this to people who sav-” She was cut off again by Lena pressing her blade harder into Kara’s neck, coming closer to slicing her throat. Kara's eyes went wide, flashing with fear for a second, before quickly wiping the emotion away. At a loss for words, Kara stuttered “I- I don’t know a Lillian, and even if I did, I wouldn’t want to! She sounds like a bitch! I’m sorry I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lena grunted, not believing her captive. In the distance, they heard a groan, and judging by the amount of noise they had made in their fight, the rest of the zombies would find them soon.

“Better start talking.  There isn’t much time until the rest start coming. What were you doing in the city if she didn’t send you?” Lena questioned, still suspicious.

“I’m telling you! I have no idea what you’re talking about! I’ve never met a Lillian in my life nor would I want to-” the groans were becoming louder and more frequent. “Listen, we really need to get going. Please. Just trust me.”

“And why should I do that? Why shouldn’t I leave you here for them to get you?”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would.”

“You wouldn’t. You can’t. I see it in your eyes. It’s written in your face. You’re incapable of leaving someone to die like that. And I know we only met like, two minutes ago, but I _know_ you wouldn’t leave me or anyone else. And I mean that in the most respectful way possible. Plus, I can fix that shoulder of yours. I’ll make you a deal. Let’s get out of here, preferably now, and I’ll answer every single one of your questions, with the utmost honesty. Does that sound good?”

Lena scoffed, not believing the words that came out of this strange woman’s mouth. The sounds of shuffling feet were even closer now. At most, they had a minute, two tops, to get out of their current position. Lena started weighing her options. She could let this woman go, and part ways, leaving her to escape the city alone, with a shoulder that was still oozing blood; or she could go with this complete stranger, who, she regretfully admitted, saved her life. She also had to admit getting her bullet wound taken care of didn’t sound too bad either. The zombies were getting even louder now, judging from the proximity of the groans, they had less than a minute left. Reluctantly, Lena got up, reaching a hand down to help Kara up on her feet. Lena’s vision went fuzzy and she swayed, almost falling if it was not for Kara wrapping an arm around her waist to steady her.

“We help each other get out of the city and you fix up my shoulder?” Lena probed.

“Yes! Now let’s go!” 

The two swung their heads around as two undead creatures rounded the corner. Immediately, the girls sprang into action. Kara took off at a run drawing her machete and violently slicing her knife down the center of the creature’s skull. Fresh blood splattered onto Kara’s already covered face as the rotting brains of the zombie were exposed. Lena was close behind, kicking the other zombie in the chest and shoving her knife into the center of its forehead. Picking up the discarded gun that was still on the ground, Kara tossed it back to Lena, who caught it, and checked the clip; when she saw it was empty, she swore. A whistle caught her attention and she turned to see a fresh clip fly her way. She caught it and saw Kara twirling her own gun by her finger. “We have the same gun,” she explained. Lena grunted in thanks, and they took off for the mouth of the alley.

Darting around the corner, there was another monster waiting for them. Lena shoved it against the wall while Kara took her machete and swung it at its throat. The head fell off the decapitated beast, still snapping at Lena’s toes while the rest of its body slumped to the floor. Lena stomped on its head, it’s decaying brains sticking to the leather of her boots, and effectively ending its efforts. They ran as fast as Lena could taking out any zombie crossed their path until they came to a halt at a four-way intersection.

“Now what?” Kara asked, looking around for the clearest path.

“I have my motorbike hidden down on Cordova street. If we make our way there, we can use it to get out of here.” They took a left, breathing heavily as they ran towards Lena’s motorbike.

“Wait a minute,” said Lena, attempting to talk while running at her full speed, “how did _you_ get here if you don’t have your own vehicle?”

“That, my friend, is an excellent question. One I would be more than happy to answer if we get the hell out of here. Preferably alive.”

Lena agreed, keeping the rest of the questions that had been forming in her mind since their meeting, to herself. When they finally reached the intersection that signified that they were to turn, they came to a halt. Lena held her gun up, pointing it up toward the sky, and, after taking a deep breath, looked around the corner. She tensed when she saw the same black SUV that was chasing her earlier, patrolling the street.

“Fuck,” she cursed, leaning her head back against the wall and letting out a frustrated sigh.

“What? What is it?” Kara asked, her nerves quickly growing, making the other woman jittery.

“It’s the people responsible for this hole in my shoulder. Looks like they never left. I wonder what they’re waiting around for? Surely it would be safer to get out of the city.”

“Why were they shooting you? We’re all in the same boat here. We should be working together.”

“That, my friend, is an excellent question. One I would be more than happy to answer if we get the hell out of here. Preferably alive.” Lena said, parroting Kara’s words from earlier. Kara replied with a grin.

“What’s the plan then?”       

             “No clue. Any ideas?”

When neither of them came up with a reasonable escape plan, Kara swore under her breath, “Alex is going to kill me. Wait- no, she’s gonna make sure I’m infected, kill me, and then when I come back, she’s gonna torture my zombified form- and _then_ kill me.” Lena momentarily wondered who this ‘Alex’ was, and who she was in relation to Kara. Lena’s filed away another question to ask when-- if -- they get out of this. They stood there in silence, desperately trying to come up with a strategy. However, they didn’t have to wait long. There new escape plan came to them in the form of several screams, and uproar of gunshots being aimed at the opposite side of the road. Startled by the sudden actions, and thinking they had been spotted, the two ducked down. Realizing that they were not the intended targets, they peeked back around the corner.

From the safety of their wall, they were greeted by the people in black firing haphazardly into a large crowd of zombies. The group was quickly becoming outnumbered as more and more zombies entered the premises. Finally, when it seemed they were fighting a losing battle, they retreated several of them scrambling back into the SUV except for a few individuals who weren’t quick enough. Peeling out, the SUV drove forward, taking out some of the zombies as they backed up and sped down the other way, whizzing past the two girls. Lena let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, as she watched the SUV speed away. It seemed that the people in the van didn’t notice the girls in their rush to escape. The screams of the hunters left behind resonated throughout the city. “Looks like now’s our chance,” Kara said grimly as she hopped forward, ready to make the last stretch to Lena’s motorcycle. With Lena close behind, they headed out onto the open road, drawing the attention of a few zombies. Lena shot them down, each with a headshot, as they continued running. The other zombies were too preoccupied feasting on the flesh of the abandoned bounty hunters to notice the loud gunshots that rang out. 

Instead of facing the herd of infected that guarded the main route of Cordova street, the two decided to take the long way to the hideaway. The pair tried their best to be inconspicuous around the flesh eaters, and it was fairly easy with them gnawing on the innards of the bounty hunters. Soon, they found their way to the motorbike that Lena had stashed in a space behind a dumpster without too much commotion.

“I’m going to need you to drive,” Lena said her vision and words blurring as she talked, “I don’t think I can stand much longer, let alone drive.”

Kara, who was bent over and out of breath from their latest sprint, stood up wheezing out a soft, “What? I don’t know the first thing about driving a motorcycle.”

“It’s simple,” Lena huffed, “you put the key in the ignition, and steer. Just like riding a bike, except for the fact you have to switch gears.”

The sound of shuffling feet disrupted their argument. “We better get going” Lena insisted. Kara looked around, looking for another option until she ultimately gave in.

“Fine,” she said, taking off her jacket and shirt, leaving her in just a worn sports bra, exposing her toned stomach.

“Wh-what are you doing,” Lena questioned, hoping the blush she felt forming didn’t betray her irritated voice.

“Well, I can’t have you bleeding out on me, now can I? Hand me your knife.” Lena obliged, and Kara cut a long piece of fabric from her shirt. Quickly, the blonde tied the fabric tightly around Lena to help staunch the blood flow. The shuffling sounds were getting louder as Kara zipped up her jacket, and uneasily climbed onto the bike. Lena hopped on after her, wrapping her arms around Kara’s waist. Kara awkwardly fumbled with the kickstand and twisted the throttle weakly. “C’mon Kara you have to do it harder than that,” Lena mumbled. Kara grunted in response, once again failing to get the bike rolling. Just then, several zombies turned the corner of their pathway, and started speeding up toward them. This seemed to be the motivation Kara needed, because the next second they were wobbly speeding out of the passage as Lena tightened her grip around Kara and drew her gun. Lena shot the creatures down as Kara drove, zooming back onto the open road.

They almost made it to the freeway leading out of the city when the SUV returned, cutting off their exit, and forcing Kara to swerve. “Shit!” Kara yelled, as the bike nearly turned parallel with the ground.

“Go, go, go!” Lena screamed back. Kara didn’t need much encouragement as she peeled off into the other direction, the SUV close behind. Soon gunshots were ringing out behind them and Lena was drawing her gun out again, firing behind them as Kara swerved haphazardly. “Make a right up here! We can navigate the back roads from there!” Lena yelled. Kara made a sharp right, skidding across the cement, and nearly throwing Lena off. The vehicle behind them followed suit, and soon they were stuck in the same situation, bullets flying at them and barely missing them. At one point, the SUV traveled side-by-side with them, the man in the passenger seat aiming a shotgun at the women. Lena saw this and immediately shot into the truck, to which the bullet met its target in the man’s head. This bought them some time as the people in the truck slowed down enough for the two to get ahead though, not by much. Lena turned to shoot more at the oncoming vehicle, but realized she was out of rounds and swore. Soon the shooters recovered and the girls worked their way up a steep incline, veering every which way to throw off their shooters. When they reached the top of the slope, they slowed, for it looked that they had stumbled upon the entire zombie population of National City.

“Don’t slow down! Go faster, I have a plan,” Lena demanded. Kara, though terrified, didn’t show it as she sped faster towards the mass of undead swarming around just 50 feet in front of them. “In about 40 feet, you’re going to need to press the brakes and turn as hard as you can, got it?”

“No!” Kara yelled in response.

“Let me rephrase then,” the sound of revving engines was starting to catch the attention of the zombie mass, who were making their way towards the vehicles, “you _need_ to, or we’ll both be dead. Do it! Now!” Kara hesitated for a split second before following Lena’s command. Time seemed to freeze as the motorcycle spun sideways, completely in between the SUV and raging zombie mass that reached out their rotting limbs to grab at them. Kara swerved out from between the two forces, time not starting again until a loud crash interrupted the moment. Kara and Lena were speeding off back the way they came when Lena swiveled her head to see the SUV run right into the horde of undead. Kara let out a yelp of excitement as she said “no wonder you like this thing so much. That was badass!”

Lena let out a laugh of victory as all remnants of the SUV vanished underneath the number of zombies clambering over it. The two women sped off in the direction of the freeway, passing by the occasional stragglers of zombies. By the time they reached the ramp that connected the road and the highway, Lena’s head was starting to feel heavy. She leaned it against Kara’s back, quickly losing consciousness. “Hey, you okay back there?” Kara asked. In response to the question Lena, mumbled, words incoherently.

“Hold on a little longer, okay? We’ll be there soon,” Kara continued. Lena didn’t even bother responding this time, as what little energy she had left vanished. The last thing she remembered was the feel of her arms around Kara, and the sound of air rushing in her ears.

* * *

 

Lena was suddenly woken up by someone lifting her up, and carrying her towards a quaint farmhouse. She was vaguely aware of Kara shouting for help, and the sound of a door opening, as well several footsteps ran towards them.

“What the hell, Kara? Who the fuck is this? Where’s Winn?” said a voice.

“Get the med stuff ready, Alex. She has a bullet wound to her left shoulder, and she’s lost a lot of blood!” Kara shouted

“Who-“

Kara cut the woman off, “just get the damn table ready! I’ll explain everything after!”

Lena felt hands feel at her neck, presumably searching for a pulse. “Luce, get the medical table ready, and an IV drip started. And quick, she doesn’t look too good,” the woman, Alex, said. The sound of running footsteps answered them, and she heard Alex usher the two other girls inside. “What the hell happened, Kara?” The woman asked. Kara started talking a mile a minute, trying to explain all the events that took place. Soon, Lena was being laid across a hard metal table, and felt the prick of a needle break her skin. Not long after that, the burning pain in her shoulder was met with cool relief as whatever was injected into her took over. Lena allowed the sweet embrace of sleep to take over. The last thing she remembered before passing out again, was the chilling cold feel of a medical table beneath her, and a warm hand resting on her hand. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey follow me on tumblr @dianasluthor and @gaylittleluthor
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey sorry this one took so long! I just got moved into my dorm and was crazy busy, but hopefully this makes up for it.
> 
> also constructive criticism is always appreciated!!

 Lena woke up to an aching pain engulfing her whole body. Lena let out a low groan, as she rolled onto her side, trying to relieve the sharp stinging sensation that ran along her back. Stumbling off the cold metal table she had been previously laying on, Lena forced her eyes open, quickly being blinded by the bright florescent lights that surrounded her. Lena staggered a couple more feet, the IV drip that was attached to her arm following close behind. Collapsing she leaned against a counter and ripped the IV from her arm, watching as a few blood droplets splattered onto the pristine white tile floor. As she stood there, still slightly disorientated and hypnotized by the contrast of deep crimson painting the white of the floor, some of the memories of the previous night came flooding back to her.

She remembered feeling strong arms carrying her inside, and a lot of shouting. She remembers falling into a deep blissful sleep; the best one she had in months since the apocalypse started. _I have to get out of here,_ Lena thought. Still slightly dizzy from the medication, she grabbed one of many sharp medical tools that were left out on the counter and lurched toward the door leading her out of the room. Upon leaving, she found herself in a dimly lit, and rather large, hallway leading to a rickety wooden staircase. Lena let her hand drift across the hard cement wall, attempting to keep her balance and feeling her way to the staircase. Judging from the lack of light, and the harsh state of the room she was in, Lena assumed she was in a basement of some sort. Lena continued down the hallway, hesitating before taking her first step on the stairway. The stairs creaked with every step she took, and Lena’s heartbeat quickened with each inch she crept closer to the door. As she reached the top of the stairs, Lena pressed her ear up against the door and tried to listen. When she didn’t hear any noises from the other side, she cracked open the door which moaned in protest. Lena winced, not expecting the sound to be so loud. She waited a couple of seconds, before entering the rest of the house.

Tiptoeing out into yet another empty hallway, this one much narrower, and lined with family portraits and colorful wallpaper, which gave a cheery contrast to the bleak world they now lived in. Lena examined one of the portraits closely. The faces of a happy family—a middle aged woman stood laughing as she watched two girls run along an ocean shoreline. Lena recognized one of the girls as Kara, the blonde who helped her out of the ruins of National City. In the picture, Kara held a handful of sand, chasing after the other girl, who was looking back, mid laugh. There were many other pictures like this, covering the walls of the house. In older pictures, Lena saw a man was present in some of the portraits. Lena vaguely noted this last fact, figuring something must have happened to him if he was not present in the later photos. A feeling of sorrow rushed over Lena at the thought of this seemingly happy family having to survive through this disaster; she couldn’t help but feel that it was partly her fault that, not only this family but the whole world, was falling apart.

Lena continued down the hall, coming to a stop when she heard voices on the other side. Peeking around the corner, Lena saw three women, one of them being Kara, another being the other girl from the family pictures, and the last one, a shorter girl with short brown hair, was one Lena didn’t recognize. All three girls were facing away from the wall where Lena was hiding behind.When the short girl began to move around the room, Lena ducked back behind the wall. The girls in the other room continued their conversation, not noticing that Lena was awake.

“Okay, Kara, just- just go through what happened one more time,” said a voice.

“I went through this  _ three times _ already, Lucy,” Kara exclaimed, and Lena could almost picture her throwing up her hands in aggravation, “why don’t you guys believe me?”

“It’s not that we don’t believe you. We just need you to be absolutely positive about everything that went down back there. We can’t find Winn if we don’t have a proper game plan.” another voice explained. The other woman that Lena didn’t recognize, Lucy, hummed in agreement. “Just pick up from when you two left for the city.”

“Okay,” Kara huffed. “So when Winn and I arrived in National City, we parked the truck outside the city limits, just like you told us. Once we were in, we started raiding some of the smaller buildings away from downtown. We figured if there were any survivors, they would be there.” Kara paused waiting for Alex’s signal to continue. “Once it was clear nobody was there, we went further into the city.” Here Lucy let out a small groan and Alex rolled her eyes.

“Kara, you  _ know  _ how dangerous it is to go far into the city,” Alex berated, “I thought you would be smarter than that.”

“I know, I know. But we were hearing gunshots, and we couldn’t just stand there and not do anything!” Kara argued, “and besides, if we didn’t follow the shooting, we wouldn’t have gotten as many supplies as we did. There’s much more stuff deeper in the city.”

“She’s got a point, Alex,” Lucy sighed, still not quite agreeing with Kara’s method.

“Yeah, but little extra supplies doesn’t compensate for a  _ life,  _ Lucy,” argued Alex, “Your decision to save a random stranger cost Winn his life, Kara, do you understand that?”

“I’m telling you he isn’t dead! Before we went downtown, we came up with a plan in case we got separated. If one of us didn’t make it back to our rendezvous point, we’d go and wait for the other in the old LuthorCorp building.” Lena’s ears perked up at this, and she listened more intently.

“So, you think that’s where Winn is?” Lucy asked.

“I  _ know  _ it is. When the people in black were chasing us, we thought it would be better if we split up. Last time I saw him, I gave him my gun, and he was heading in the direction of the LuthorCorp building. After he was gone, I climbed up to the roof of one of the apartment complexes. That’s when I found our mystery girl fighting a horde of biters. I couldn’t just watch her die, so I stepped in,” Kara glared up at Alex as if daring her to criticize her choice of saving a random stranger.

Alex narrowed her eyes, analyzing Kara’s story for the fourth time that day. “Well, I guess we need to come up with a plan,” she said, “Winn isn't going to save himself.” The sound of footsteps walking across the room met Lena’s ears, and she took a step forward to creep away from the edge of the wall, but the old wooden floor creaked under her footsteps. The talking ceased, as the noise drew the attention of the three women, and Lena froze. “Eliza must have woken up,” Lena heard Kara’s voice say. Lena heard footsteps approaching her end of the wall, and she quickly tightened her grip on the scalpel in her hand. “Hey mom, what are-”the woman who rounded the corner started to say but was interrupted by Lena grabbing her and holding the scalpel to her throat. The woman let out a yelp of surprise, and when she saw the blade, wiped off her startled expression in favor of a calm one. “Uh, Kara? Our guest is up,” the woman, Alex, announced. At the sound of alarm in her voice, the two other women ran out into the hallway and were shocked to see Alex being held captive by Lena. Upon seeing them, Kara’s eyes went wide with panic for a second, Lena noting that the woman she held meant something to the blonde— that something could be her ticket out of this place.

“Who are you people? What do you want from me? And don’t take a step closer unless you want to see this blade slice through her neck,” Lena warned, hoping the other two girls wouldn’t call her bluff. She didn’t want to hurt anyone, not really; she just wanted to get out of here and be on her way. The shorter girl, Lucy, held her hands up in a gesture of peace, and to show she was not armed, “Hey, let’s not doing anything rash okay? There’s no need for anyone to get hurt,” she rationed.

The sound of Lucy’s voice seemed to break Kara out of her stupor, and she stammered “y-yeah, just let her go and we’ll answer any questions you have.” Lena thought this over. After a quick debate with herself, she loosened her grip on Alex, who in turn took this opportunity to disarm her and reverse their positions. Lena grunted in protest, and when she stopped squirming and Lucy checked her for more weapons, Alex shoved her into the sitting room that the three girls previously occupied. Stumbling from the force of Alex’s push, Lena found herself knocking into Kara. Placing a hand on the small of her back, Kara gently guided her to the couch in the middle of the room. Alex and Lucy rounded the couch to stand in front of Lena, both of them with crossed arms and pointed expressions. “Couldn't she show some fucking courtesy to the people who took her in and bandaged her up?” Alex asked, not bothering to hide her anger. 

“I told you,” Kara answered in return, now taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch Lena occupied, “she almost killed you too.”

“She didn’t  _ almost  _ kill me, I had the situation perfectly under control,” Alex retorted. Lucy snorted at this and muttered something under her breath that made Kara burst out laughing. Alex shot both girls a glare, effectively cutting off their laughter. 

“I’m going to check on Eliza,” Lucy interjected, promptly moving out of the room.

“Anyway!” Kara blurted, directing the conversation back to the matter at hand. Kara turned to Lena, a pitying look in her eyes as she said,  “I’m sure you’re very confused. If you have any questions we’d be happy to answer them. As long as you answer ours that is.” Lena sat still, not saying a word, waiting for someone else to break the silence that followed Kara’s words. It was Alex who spoke up first, “So, first things first, what’s your name, and what were you doing in National City?” Lena shifted her position, folding her arms across her chest, with no intention of answering this stranger's questions. Alex grabbed a chair from the table in the room and dragged it closer to Lena. Sitting backward in the chair, Alex stared Lena down, “I can sit here all night if I have to,” she taunted. Lena stared back at Alex, not breaking eye contact until Kara spoke up again. 

“Alex, maybe there's a better way to go about this,” she rationed, getting up to stand by the other woman. Lena observed the two looking at each other, seeming to have a conversation without words.  _ Whoever they are, they’re very close,  _ Lena thought. Alex rolled her eyes, which caused a toothy grin to break out onto Kara’s face. Kara sat on the edge of the small coffee table in front of the couch and clearing her throat, said, “Let’s start over. I’m Kara,” Kara nodded her head towards Alex, “and this is Alex. The person who just went upstairs is Lucy. And you are…”

“Lena.” Lena widened her eyes, surprised that she gave the information so willingly to this woman she just met hours ago. Somehow this light haired girl was able to get past the walls she so carefully built. It was a dangerous thing, something Lena did  _ not  _ want to experiment with. 

“Lena…” Kara repeated as if she was testing her name in her mouth. “It’s nice to meet you, though I do wish it was under different circumstances.” Lena blushed at this, and silently cursed herself for having such reaction. Alex raised her eyebrows at this, and looked from Lena to Kara as if trying to put a puzzle together. “Okay Lena, what were you doing in the city?” Alex questioned. Lena contemplated how she should answer this. If she revealed she was a Luthor, they may not be as generous as they were being right now. “I-I heard about a safe haven. It’s kind of far, so I went into the city to gather supplies,” Lena said, omitting some of the story.

Alex eyed her suspiciously, “Okay then. If you were just gathering supplies, why were those ‘people in black’ after you?” She asked, putting air quotations around the words. 

“You’re guess is as good as mine,” Lena lied.

“Bullshit,” Alex spat out. “You know  _ damn  _ well why they were after you. We may live in a world where the dead can eat you, but people just don’t hunt people down for no reason, especially in a city full of walkers,” she snapped. 

“Alex-” Kara warned, “inside voice.” Alex shot her a glare in response. Taking a deep breath, Alex continued, “Listen, Lena, we  _ need  _ to know this. It’s not just about you. We have friends in danger. And if I heard correctly from Kara, you don’t want to hurt anyone. Just  _ please _ … tell us the truth.” Alex looked up at her with a hopeful expression. Lena was at a moral crossroads. She could tell these people-- who seemed like genuinely good people-- the truth, or stick to her story. If they found out she was a Luthor, they just might kill her. Lena wouldn’t blame them either. If she was in their position she would certainly consider that option herself. Afterall, she did play a hand in ending the world as they knew it. But, then she looked at Kara and the worry that was etched over her face. Lena couldn’t bare that  _ she  _ was responsible for the pain that was present in those deep blue eyes. She repressed the urge to reach out and smooth the crinkle between the girl's eyes. Was the ease of one family really worth the expense of the world? Lena let out a deep breath and shifted uncomfortably before answering, “I honestly don’t know,” she admitted. “I- I think my mother sent them.”

“Your mother?” Kara questioned.

Alex once again raised her brows at this, clearly not expecting that answer. “Explain.”

“This is ridiculous,” Lena said, her voice escalating, “now you're just being fucking nosey!”

“Ah, hit a soft spot I see,” Alex grinned, “Fine, but this isn’t over.”

“You probably have a lot of questions for us, so ask away,” Kara voiced, offering Lena a soft smile. 

“Thanks,” Lena replied, feeling her own lips curving upwards in response, “first off, where the hell am I and who’s Winn?”

Footsteps came up from behind Lena, and she turned around. The other woman, Lucy, was walking back into the room, answering her question “Winn is our friend, he’s usually in charge of techie stuff, but he decided he wanted to ‘contribute’ more to the team. So we let him go out in the field  _ once  _ and looked what happened,” she said, giving Alex a knowing look. “And welcome to the Danvers’ family estate. It’s a couple of miles outside National City. And now the safest place on Earth. ” Lucy explained. The other two women hummed in agreement, and Lena scoffed at this allegation. “Not quite. That’s cute you think that though,” Lena countered, “the place I’m heading to is the safest anyone can be. A little house in the countryside pales in comparison.”

“Hey!” Kara exclaimed, feigning offense, “don’t mock our refuge!”

Alex leaned closer to Lena and narrowed her eyes. “How did you hear about this place anyway? What’s so great about it?” 

“I found an old CB radio in a semi a couple days ago. I was using it to try to contact other survivors when I turned onto their frequency. Th-they’re calling themselves the DEO. From the sounds of it they have solid security and…” Lena glanced down at her hands in her lap before looking back up and glancing at Kara, “and they’re trying to find a cure.” At this, Kara and Alex shared a wide-eyed glance and Lucy let out an audible gasp. Lena seemed to have sucked all the air out of the room with these words and she quietly worried that she tipped them off to who she actually was.

“A-a cure?” Kara spoke up, and when Lena looked over to her she saw tears forming in her eyes, “did they mention how close they were to finding one? Or- or if they already did?” Kara started to pace across the wooden floor, her footsteps and voice the only sound in the quiet house. “How far is it? How quickly could we make it there? Is-”

“Kara. Calm down-”

“No, Alex! This could be what we were looking for! This could be our chance to save Eliza!”

Alex shot Kara a pitying look, not buying that such a place exist. Lena quickly cut in, “No. They didn’t mention how close they were. But when I get there…”

“What? You’ll magically pull a cure out of your ass?” Lucy asked skeptically.

Lena gave her a cold glare before saying “No, but I have a good idea on how to stop it.”

Alex let out a laugh, “yeah? And how’s that?”

“I… used to work at LuthorCorp… in the research and development department. I overheard a lot of conversations within those walls. I- I could’ve stopped it. If I only knew… if I wasn’t blinded…” Lena closed her eyes and hung her head, lost in her own self-loathing. It was true, she  _ had  _ heard a lot about the project Lex and his team was working on. She didn’t think anything of it, didn’t think he would actually  _ use  _ the bomb that ended the world as they knew it. She had warned him of the repercussions of using such a device, and the immorality of it, but it wasn’t enough. A gentle hand on her shoulder caused her to look back up and was surprised to see Kara sitting beside her, arm draped across her shoulders. “Hey, it’s okay,” the woman smiled at her, “there was nothing you could do. You didn’t know it would cause,” Kara gestured around the room with her hands, “all this.” Lena examined this woman, who was so kind to her despite not knowing  _ anything  _ about her. It was both shocking and refreshing, and Lena drank in the feeling of unadulterated warmth that was radiating off Kara. Offering the blonde woman a small smile, Lena turned back to look at Alex, still aware of the arm that was still draped across her shoulders.

“This… place-- you think you could get us there?” Alex questioned, the look in her eyes somewhat desperate.

“I mean I  _ could,  _ I couldn't guarantee whether you’d get there in one piece or not.”

“That’s good enough for me.”

Lena looked back at Kara, whose face was lit up by a big smile at the thought of finding this place. Alex got up from her chair and sprung into action, throwing weapons and food into different bags. “Let’s move everyone. Sounds like we have a big trip ahead of us. Pack light, only the essentials.” The rest of the girls followed her lead, leaving Lena to sit on the couch pondering the events that took place in such a short time. Never in a million years did Lena think she’d have people with her on her journey. In some ways, it was a curse as well as a blessing. With numbers came strength, someone to watch her back. But there was also the fear of attachment, of relying on these people and forming connections with them. Lena couldn’t afford to lose someone else she cared about-- not after Lex. Lena came up with a plan of her own. She’d help these people, who took her in and fixed her, get to someplace safe, and she’d leave. She looked at Kara, who was piling non-perishables in a backpack. Yeah, it’d be good to leave, before one of them gets hurt. She’s only known Kara for a few hours, but it felt  _ so _ much longer. And if she got closer, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to bear it if something happened.

Alex walked back into the room dropping two bags onto the floor. “Better get ready,” she addressed to Lena, “let’s go get Winn back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also hmu on tumblr @dianasluthor and @gaylittleluthor


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